London, England - 1818

Gray Dalton, Marquess of Blackburn, has been a spy for the Duke of Wellington for years. He has worked to free Europe from Napoleon Bonaparte and even saw his own brother die rather than give up his duty to his country. Yes, the marquess is a hardened man, unable to feel any gentle feelings for anyone. An expert cryptographer, he is an excellent operative in breaking codes and is now after a document with important information having to do with the return of Napoleon to power from exile. The Duke has assigned him to break the code supposedly written in Beethoven's symphony, Eroica. It apparently holds the secret to some new destructive explosive device that will overshadow black powder.

Devon Caravelle’s mother was a musician, and her father was a master cryptographer sympathetic to the French Revolution and friends with Beethoven. In fact, her father knew about the code in the Eroica and also held the last piece of the puzzle in breaking the code before he died under mysterious circumstances. Devon is much sought after by two men: the Marquess of Blackburn and Le Comte de Maupassant. Devon is living with Le Comte under duress; he is trying to use her to break the code. If he can only get together the daughter of a famous cryptographer and the Marquess with his experience, breaking the code should be child's play. Then this mysterious weapon can be used to free Napoleon, and Le Comte will surely be given back his estates in France that were taken away during the Revolution. Now all he has to do is get the marquess and Devon together in the same place and use their abilities for his advantage.

When Devon escapes, the marquess and Le Comte both try to find her. The marquess knows that though they need to work together, they don't trust each other, and they constantly go back and forth regarding the intense physical attraction they feel for each other. From London to France, the race is on to uncover the information locked in the music and to see who gets it and what they do with it. Does good or evil prevail, and can the marquess and Devon learn to overcome the past and love and trust each other?

Written in the third person, EXPLOSIVE goes into detail on the Eroica and its possible connection to a mysterious new weapon. While I really liked the plot and the characters, the writing did seem a little overly detailed and the descriptions lengthy.

Le Comte's henchmen are important background characters who sometimes can't decide which side to be on, his or their own. Dreams of the marquess's dead brother explain his hardened heart and seeming inability to connect with anyone else. Devon still loves her dead mother and father and longs for the happy days they had together and wonders about their ties to the French Revolution. The Duke of Wellington is the brains behind the marquess’s actions, and Le Comte is a whole different type of man, using evil machinations he’s learned over his lifetime to bend people to his evil will.

EXPLOSIVE is a historical romance involving the years after the French Revolution and its effect upon England and France. With spying and hidden codes in a musical score, we have all the earmarks of a unique story. The beginnings of modern warfare help lay the foundation for a new century of fighting and destruction. If history is your thing, EXPLOSIVE will ignite your interest.

Carolyn Crisher